The Truth Is Hard To Swallow
by Do-Op
Summary: The title says everything. This is the story that Toei and Saban don't dare tell, but, as I say at the diginning, the digidestined had to grow up someday. *Rated PG thirteen for sexual refrences, foul language, violence, and somesuch.
1. History

*Before I start, a brief history, the pre-prolauge.  
  
After defeating MaloMyotismon in the year 2001, digidestined all over the world have grown up. Tai is 26, single and works on the GTOPD *Greater Tokyo & Odaiba Police Dept. Sora married Matt not long after high school, they have one child. She's 26, married w/ kid, and also, hows this for a co-inky-dink, a cop. For the GTOPD. Matt is 26, married w/kid, and he's a reporter. Ken and Yolie...DUH! They married, they both run Yolie's grocery store. No children yet. both 24. Joe is, of course, a docter. He's 28, fresh out of med school. Izzy works for the government, is not married and is 25. Mimi is single, an actress, and 26. Cody is 21, in law school, and single. Davis is single, a "pencil-pusher" in other words, secretary, and 23. TK and Kari are married, have 1 little girl, TK is a novelist, and Kari has taken a year off teaching to take care of the baby. They are both 23.  
  
^Switches to announcers voice^  
  
The digimon are all in the digital world, and the humans are all on earth. Now is the time for a new evil to spriing up, but this evil is not what you think. The digidestined themselves are their own worst enemy, but will they tear themselves apart?*  



	2. Dedication

*I would like to dedicate this story to Neo and Lace123. Lace for inspiring me to write OD,OM(I stole the premarital relations thing from her*One Mistake*. But One Desicion, One Mistake is completly my own plot.)Neo, because you gave me the idea for this story. I was thinking about our "The good kid gone bad" conversation. And realized that I hadn't done one with TK yet. So, here it is.*  



	3. Disclaimer & Prolauge

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon...though I plan to buy it and Toei (who currectly owns it) after I become rich and famous on Broadway and with my novels. Please don't sue me if: you work for Toei or Bandai,are a Takari fan, or think you can get lotsa money from me(which you can't.).**  
  
* The things in * *'s are authors notes.*  
* "It is much easier to say "I'm going to write a story about domestic violence," than it is to actually sit down and write it, I know."  
-Me*  
  
*I have taken certin liberties with the charecteers, and belive me, I'm only interpereting how I think it might happen. I mean, you can laugh at my portrayal of TK, as an abusive husband/father/novelest. And you can scoff at Tai taking bribes from reporters. And you can throw this away when you find out that Sora is having an affair, but I'd like you to keep three things in mind. The future is unpredictable, it's a dog eat dog world out there, and the digidestined had to grow up sometime.*  
  
The Truth Is Hard To Swallow  
By: Megami Soyuu  
  
Prolauge  
  
  
Davis Motomiya should have been happy. He was 23 years old, and fresh out of technical college. He worked at a computer repair center, as a pencil pusher, but it was a far cry from the job he had wanted years ago. His sister June had been shipped off to somewhere's-ville in the US, out of his hair, but he found he actually *perish the thought*, missed her. He finally had a group of friends who he thought respected him, even though they were high most of the time they were around him. His life was, as he had long known it to be, a bust.  
  
"Hey Davis! You coming on Saturday? To the supply-house?" He nodded, looking like he had the blues. Bad. "You look bad, you need some magic puffs?" He looked up at Aaron, the stoned boy holding out rolled marijuanna in front of him, and sighed.  
  
"Why the hell not?" He asked taking the drug from Aaron. "My life's so screwed, whats a lift or two gonna hurt?"  
  
~*~  
  
"TK?" This was not going to be a good night, she knew. You could tell by the way he was hunched over his desk, and rolling his pencil (which was only there for show, he'd stopped using pencils long ago.) between his fingers. And his face, it was the best indicator. It was a mix of annoyance and fear....that combination was dangerous when paired with Takeru Takishi. "Tk, honey?"  
  
"What?" He called out. He seemed a little miffed that she would interupt him, but most of his anger wasn't directed at her...as of yet.  
  
"Are you having trouble with your story?"  
  
"Yes." He said shortly. She tensed, trying not to call attention to the bruise he had given her last week, which was teasing at the edge of her shirt sleeves. Pulling her sleeve down, she walked up behind him. "Writers block?"  
  
"No, well....yes. Detail only. I can't remember the exact place Primary Village was located before the Dark Masters...."  
  
"It's on Thanos now...and Elecmon still runs it."  
  
"I know that, Kari!" He exploded. She took a few steps back, as a reflex, and backed into a wall. He looked from her, to the screen, and back, sighing. He got up and went over to her. "I'm sorry, Kari. You know I promised I wouldn't hit you again. I'm sorry. Really, I'm just having such a hard time with this story..."  
  
"Would you like me to look it over for you?" she asked, nimbly sidstepping him and going over to the desk. "Hmmm....There are a few grammer mistakes, but those can be fixed...."  
  
"No, damn it!" He yelled, throwing her back against the wall. "You can't fix the grammer, there are programs to do that!" She shrunk back against the wall.  
  
"I was only trying to help, TK." she whispered.  
  
"Well you can't help, so why don't you stop trying?"  
  
"It really doesn't need much, TK...there are only a few mistakes-"  
  
"Will you shut up about my mistakes!" He cut her off, throwing her onto the floor. "I'm doing the best I can ok?" He pulled her up and reared back to slap her. She barely flinched when he did. That was the first time he'd hit her since his promise, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.  
  
~*~  
  
Taichi Kamiya sighed as he filpped open his ancient laptop. The GTOPD *Greater Tokyo & Odaiba Police Department* really needed to update their equipment. They had, at least, updated the software. There was state of the art programs on it, running at a tortise's pace. When his messages finnally came up there was one from Le-wong, said to buzz him ASAP. Seeing that he was online, Tai pullede up a video screen and Jonas Le-wongs face, smiling and overly giddy, smiled at him from the offices of the Tokyo Press, one of the biggest papers in Japan.  
  
"Chief Kamiya...I was hoping you'd be on soon." His english was hissing and short, and Tai found that, when conversing with him, he much prefered instant messages.  
  
"Le-wong. You look altogether too happy for your own good."  
  
"Oh, don't be so cold, Tai." "God his smile is revolting." Tai thought. "But he's a good scource of information..." His train of thought was interupted by Le-wongs inquirey. " How was the drug bust?"  
  
"Just that, a bust. They all turned tail and ran at the first sign of trouble, which was yesterday. Did you really have to send a scout down there to look the sight over?" He seemed more than annoyed at that, and Le-wong just shrugged.  
  
"The lighting had to be perfect." Tai wondered how he managed to apoligise with a straight face and not sound the least bit apoligetic. "Oh well, anyway, I've got another one for you." He almost said, "Another what?" but Le-wong only brought him domestic violence cases, which he usually carried out, or drug busts, which were forwarded to the addictives department, so he rephrased that question.  
  
"What you got?"  
  
"Marijuanna drop-off. Saturday. 10pm at the warf. Warehouse 12." God, he looked smug. What in the world could a marijuanna push do to make him so smug.  
  
"Dealer?"  
  
"Dragon Scale." Tai exhaled loudly. That was the last thing he wanted to hear, but it was also a good thing. Any dent the GTOPD could make in Dragon Scale's Asian market was a good one.  
  
"Should've known, they're pushing 23hundred, aren't they?" *An inference, because 23hundred pounds of marijuanna was said to have been smuggled out of Russia a few weeks earlier. Police all over have been keeping an eye out for pushes like this one.* He could barely keep the disgust out of his voice. "Any buyers you know of?"  
  
"No, it could be the Omegas or Silver's men..." *Both prominent dealers and users of cocaine, heroin, and marijuanna.*  
  
"Or some unknown creeps who have no record. We wouldn't be able to hold them over two days without a trial, and that would be too messy."  
  
"Well you think it over. Meanwhile, my usual offer of 75 IC *International currency* stands."  
  
"Plus 25 IC EACH for Takanuchi and Ginho. 10 for the patrolmen and and 50 each for the Warf NightWatchmen."  
  
"Come on, Tai. Cut me some slack. It's my birthday."   
  
"No. It's a felony. Namely, possesion of marijuanna. And your birthday's in September."  
  
"That's what I get for letting you know me so well. Alright, you've got the money. Be there at 9:30 sharp and we'll have ourselves a nice little drug bust." Tai's beeper went off and one glance made him jump up.   
  
"IgottagoLe-wong,I'lltalktoyoulater." he said hurredly, grabbing his gun and running from the room. He walked straight into chaos, barley managing to make it to Sora Ichida's desk. "What's the emergancy, Captian?"  
  
"I thought you might like to head this one, Tai. There's been report of a domestic ruckus over in Odaiba."  
  
"And why would I want to lead that team?"  
  
"Because all of the reports point towards your sister's home."  



	4. Chapter 1: Illusions of Grandure

Ch 1.  
  
"Are you sure, Sora?" Tai said, leaning over the desk to look at the computer screen.  
  
"Yeah. Mrs. Leola called, said she heard something break, Mr. and Mrs. Yuri heard yelling, Mr. Fujiama *they will never be rid of this man* seconded that, and we have numerous other calls from neighbors."  
  
"But, why would anything like that be happening at Kari's house?" Sora looked up at him.  
  
"That's what you're going to find out."  
  
"Alright." He said, backing towards his office. "You and Ginho, get ready. I'm gone in three min, wether your with me or not." With that last remark he ran into his office, closed the laptop, grabbed his coat and loaded his gun, by then, Sora and Saribeth were waiting. They all went out to the hover car. What the GTOPD lacked in technology, Tai had to admit, they made up for in transportation.  
  
~*~  
  
Kari Takishi was listening to the radio, while rocking her daughter, Kim *Kim woke up during TK and Kari's **little** fight*. The radio was playing old lullabies, one of which being, "That Man Of Mine" from the musical, Showboat(1). Kari sang along with the music, trying to calm her daughter down.  
  
"Fish gotta swim, and birds gotta fly. I gotta love one man till I die. Can't help, lovin' that man of mine. Tell me he's lazy, tell me he's slow. Tell me I'm crazy, maybe I know. Can't help, lovin' that man of mine." As Kim fell asleep she slowly placed her into her crib. She finished out the last verse slowly, not bothering to keep time with the radio. "He.....can come home, as late as can be. Cause home....without him, aint no home to....me. Can't help," She stopped, and kissed Kim's forehead. "Lovin' that man of mine." She was cut off by a pounding on the door, and hurried down, passing TK on the way.  
  
She heard Tai shout, "Kari, open up!" and glanced to the stairs, at a worried and disheveled TK. Shaking her head in a, "I won't tell" motion, she pulled open the door.  
  
From Tai's point of view, she was a sight, and his brotherly instincts kicked in right away. Kari had always been pale, but tonight, she seemed even more so. She didn't even bother to cover up the purplish bruising spot on her cheek, which would have been futile, as it was the first thing he saw. She also looked like she'd been crying. He saw the surprised look in her eyes as she asked, "Tai? What brings you out here?"  
  
"Are you ok?" He asked, dismissing her question. He stepped inside and looked at her. He tenderly ran his hand over her bruising cheek, questioning her with his eyes. Several emotions ran through hers before she answered. Apprehension, fear, resolution, and then calm.  
  
"I'm fine Tai. You see, Kim left one of her toys out in the hall and I tripped over it. What brought you out here?" Tai looked from her, to TK, and back.   
  
"Your neighbors heard yelling, and something break."  
  
"Oh, that was me." TK said hurrying down the steps and over to Kari. "See, when she tripped, I knocked over my mug and it broke. And That yelling they herd was me trying to figure out what had happened." He smiled apologetically. "Sorry if that disturbed anyone."  
  
Tai, feeling something was amiss, continued to ask questions until Kari finally said, "It's late and I'm tired. Can you finish questioning us tomorrow Tai?" But knowing his sister well, Tai heard, "Can you please leave? Nothing happened, and you're wasting your time, plus, I'm tired.", except he knew she would never say that out loud.  
  
"Sure. Sorry to have disturbed you two. I'll come by tomorrow, to see Kim." With that he turned quickly and left, with a very confused Sora Ichida and Saribeth Ginho following him.  
  
Kari shut the door, and waited, her back to TK. He would say something, she was sure of it. But when minutes passed and he was silent, she spoke up.   
  
"I'm not covering up for you again." she whispered as she turned around. Then, as she walked up the stairs. "I'll not lie to the people I care for again. So next time you hit me, you'd better make it for keeps, because I won't hesitate to leave you, and I'll take Kim with me."  
  
~*~  
"Tai, Wait!" Sora ran through the police station after him, finally into his office. She closed the door softly behind her, looking at her best friends face. She knew him well enough to read it, frustration, and confusion. And she knew why too. "Tai, what's wrong?"  
  
"Sora, I really don't..."  
  
"Tai, this is your sister. And she's almost like the little sister I never had. Now if something is on your mind about Kari, then spill it." He looked up at her, glad that she was so stubborn, and misery loves company.  
  
"Well...I just don't think she was telling the truth....there was a weird sort of tension between her and TK. And when he said, "That was me.", I'm not sure if you saw the alarm on her face of not..." Sora, by this time, was sitting on his desk, looking at him...she folded her hands over her lap as she answered.  
  
"Just barely. It was the quickest I've ever seen a person change their emotions." You've never seen yourself, he thought wryly.  
  
"Hmm....well, I saw it too, and I know that Kari is only alarmed when she has good reason to be." He felt dread, and cold fear rising in his stomach. "You don't think...TK...?"  
  
"No. You know TK. He wouldn't hurt a fly. Well...maybe a Flymon(2)...but..." She smiled, and he was trying his hardest not to laugh. When he finally did, she was all the happier, and with mischief shining in his eyes, he grinned and said, "Your sexy when you laugh, Sargent Ichida." She LOOKED at him, and then caught on, giving him a moment before, with the same twinkle in her eye.   
  
"You really think so, Chief Kamiya?"   
  
"How's this for an answer?" He pulled her down from his desk to kiss her, and succeeded Their lips met, and they shared a long, passionate kiss. It was wrong, they both knew, because Sora was married to his best friend. But they both also knew...she should've married him.  
  
(1.) Showboat is a wonderful musical. I just felt the need to promote it. For info on show times please contact the John D. Talbot amphitheater in Bardstown, KY. The only thing wrong with the show is the fact that I didn't get cast as Kim.  
  
(2.) If you don't get the joke, you shouldn't be reading this.  
  



	5. Chapter 2: Good Intentions

Ch. 2  
  
The dock was unusually warm for a spring night, and more had shown for the drugs that Magony Xu(1) could ever have imagined. There were indeed people sent by Omega, and Silver. Herself, Trinity, and Ramases would have to be on their toes. Most of the crowd was, just as She had expected, nameless nobodies who just wanted a lift. They disgusted her, at least the Omega's and Silver were enterprising, they sold most of what they got, but these bum's were only gonna use it up in less than a week and come begging for more. This stuff was expensive, and you had to be living pretty cushily to not have to sell it for profit. She was not a user, though she had been tempted many times, she had never been a druggie. She only supplied druggies, which made her two times as bad, in her thinking. And she liked being bad.  
  
"Magony...oh, pardon me, Oracle." Ramases said, covering up his slip in the customary way. "Are you ready?"  
  
"You may call me Magony, Peter, but only while in the presence of Trinity and myself. And if you are ready, we can begin." He escorted her out of the room, and out into the light of the waxing moon. She was wearing a purple skin tight suit, like that of the ninja's of old, and a red cloak. On her belt was a concealed device, as all Dragon Scale members were in possession of, a black box, with two buttons. One, the green one, was for protection. It turned the wearer invisible, to everything but heat seeking devices. The second, the red button, was Dragon Scale's fail safe method. If any member was captured, they would immediately press the red button, and a toxin, deadly, and disguised as a white blood cell, would seep into their blood stream, killing them within half an hour. Fortunately, she had never had to use the red button.  
  
Walking out onto the dock, she watched as her dealers caught little groups and sold their wares. She would make enough tonight to buy the heroin that was going to Beijing. And from that, marijuana for the Vietnamese who would pay in the diamonds that went to the americans who paid in cocaine for the Russians, from them she would get more marijuana and the cycle would start again. She loved her job.  
  
The wind whistled behind her as she stiffened. Ramases, decked out in his blue jeans, with gun belts all around him, noticed it too. The spared each other a glance before turning to face the third member of their elite group. "Leslie." Magony grinned. "Or is it Trinity while your on the job? Oh, well, anyway, it is nice of you to join us from Mount Olympus where you must reside now, as we hardly see you anymore." The light skinned woman was tall, but not as tall as Magony in her opinion, though, if she wished, she could be as tall as the empire state building(2). It only took a thought. She was wearing a bikini style top, and a mini-skirt, both black, and only her black cape to protect her from the wind that had come. Hearing Magony's remark though, she shifted into her Trinity guise, Her skin gold toned, her hair silver, with what might be called age. She pulled her cloak tight around her, and gave Magony a hard stare before gesturing to the crowd on the warf. "Leslie Kramer might as well be dead, I have many alias'. And you know where I was, Oracle. I'm an important part of this team, if I hadn't been in Vietnam all that time negotiating, do you have any idea how long we'd be held up?"  
  
"Ok. Ok. Point taken. Let's just try and get out of here unscathed, ok?"  
  
"Is this the big push you had planned? There aren't more than a thousand people here. We've got 23 hundred pounds of marijuana in this warehouse, how are you planning on selling it all?" Magony smiled at her and shook her head.  
  
"You forget easily, Trinity, that I have many connections. My plan, and yours if you'll stick around to see it through, is this..."  
  
~*~  
  
Sora had the Desk Sargent duties Saturday night, and she was thoroughly bored. it was ten after the hour, and shew hadn't signed anyone in yet. She supposed the lack of crime was good...but she wished it didn't make her job so......what was that word...humdrum. She couldn't very well surf the net either, 'cause even though the desk computer had the latest modem, it ran like one of those ancient 56 kbps(3). It took way to long to load the pages.   
  
She was just wishing something exciting would happen when the double doors burst open, and a horde of people came through. Asians, Africans, Caucasians. Almost every possible ethnic group was represented, and by at least 5 people...at least, that's what she would say later. Right now she did what everyone else in the force was doing, and gawked. She came to attention when Lee Jino, one of their best narcotics experts, came up to the desk.   
  
"Sargent. Our friends here need a place to stay, would you mind booking them?"  
  
"How long?"  
  
"Well, these 12 and these five need put up UFN *Until Further Notice*, and the rest can stay overnight." She sat down and brought up the list on the computer.  
  
"What're they in for? Loitering?"  
  
"Close." He replied without smiling. "This is the output of a very large drug bust. Those seventeen have records...the others we don't know about yet." Sora set about clicking and typing, and seemed a million miles away when she told him. "Get me a list of their names and I'll look it up, ok? Just take them on down, Officer Neho is waiting in cell block 2, you can go from there."  
  
"Thanks." He said, slipping her a ten IC card. She looked at it, and then him, smiling courteously.  
  
"Keep your payoff. I don't need it." She turned her back on him, and waited till the entire group had left the area before turning back around. Her cell phone rang, and she stuffed the headphones/microphone on to answer.  
"Hello?"  
"Hi, Sora."  
  
"Tai?"  
  
"Nope. Davis."  
  
"Oh, sorry. What's up?"  
  
"This is my one phone call."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Nothing. They said I had to call someone, and your number was the first that came to mind."  
  
"Who said?"  
  
"These people at the police station."  
  
"What are you doing at the police station, Davis?"  
  
"Umm.....well.....It's kinda funny really....One'a my friends brought me out to this party....I swear I didn't know what was going on....they busted it up...the cops...."  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
"Dammit, Tai. What are we supposed to do?" She was pacing around his office, he had his head in his hands.  
  
"I don't know." He said simply.  
  
"That's not an answer!" She slammed her fist on the wall, and counted to ten before saying, "He's got a record, Tai. They're gonna wanna keep him...we'll have to enforce that."  
  
"I know." he whispered.  
  
"How in the hell are we supposed to do that? I mean, has the world forgotten so quickly what we've done as to condemn a digidestined? Can they actually expect us to do that?" She looked at him, but his gaze had been averted. He was staring intently at a picture of himself and Agumon, taken only the year before, in the real world. It made her sad. They all missed their digimon; lord knows she missed Biyomon. But Tai had a special bond with Agumon. One that the rest of them had somehow missed out on.  
  
"Sora, the world never cared in the first place." That's what Ian had told him, years ago. Ian, his best non-digidestined friend... "We saved their butts too many times to count, and they act as if we don't exist. Even when they have digimon of their own, they discredit us!" She could see the wound, as though it were physical. It wasn't of course, but it was there. It was contempt, and darkness. And there was no hope. That's what hurt her most. The emotional sore had no hope, and it was slowly overtaking him. He hadn't been this way when he was with Agumon.  
  
He looked up at her, darkness residing in his eyes. "Why'd you become a cop, Sora?" Without waiting for her to answer, he continued. "I thought I wanted to help people. I thought maybe I could make a difference, change their lives for the better. Look at me, Sora." He said urgently. "All of my major arrests are set ups, I grind people into the dirt because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've planted evidence on people I knew to be guilty, because I knew they'd get away if they went to court. I've been heartless and cold towards people who did nothing. I've put innocents behind bars for life. I'm the best of the best, and it makes me sick." He kept his gaze level with hers, and, getting no response, dismissed her.  
  
  
(1.) The Three of Dragon Scale are second only to the dragon himself. Magony Xu, Peter Fergesun, and Leslie Kramer are the Three. They are the children of some of the most highly connected people on the planet. Magony Xu is the daughter of The Dragon himself, Peter Fergesun is the son of one of the most highly regarded senators in the Gusedo Senate, and Leslie Kramer's mother was president of the America's untill 2 years ago, and is now a respected advisor to the International Minister.  
  
(2.) Leslie is a shapeshifter, one of the first of her kind.  
  
(3.)56 kbps is the fastest non dsl/cable modem out nowadays *as far as I know* and in 20 years it will be ancient, trust me.  
  



	6. Chapter 3: Pandora's Box

Ch 3  
  
  
"Mimi." He said. One word. And then more, "I love you, Mimi." It meant nothing to her. How many men had said that to her? They all said that.  
  
"I love you too, Garret." She was an actress, and a good one. Pity that Broadway hadn't seen that. Hollywood had no use for a Madame(1) either. Fools that they were. She specialized in breaking things. Promises, relationships, hearts, antique vases. In a sickening way, she liked it.   
  
"Mimi, I need to get out of here. They want my head on a silver platter. I've already got tickets to the Virgin Islands, we could go, hide out for awhile....you know, lie low. Please Mimi, you've got to come with me-" She took his hand, and spoke, cutting him off.  
  
"Shut up, Garret." She placed his hand on the right strap of her dress. "Shut up, and pull tab A."   
  
It all happened so fast. His mouth crushing hers, a rustle, glass breaking. She turned, and saw the gun. She didn't even have time to scream.  
  
~*~  
  
The door to the apartment closed, and Matt Ichida pulled of his shoes, and set them beside it. His coat he set over the back of the couch. He could smell the food before he got into the kitchen. when he walked in, a woman with greying hair was stirring a stew. He walked up beside her, and said, "Loranne, you truly are a wonder. I don't know how Sora and I would survive without you." She waved a ladle above her at that.   
  
"Now, Mr. Ichida." she said in her Scottish brogue. "I'll not have ye coming in here, an' singin me praises whilst I'm cookin. Ye'll spoil the supper." She turned to chop some carrots and continued. "Truth be, me lad, I dunno how I'da got along witout ye and your missus to look after me. I'm only good for ye cookin, and ye house cleanin. Tis ye who's the wonder." He smiled at that. Loranne was under selling herself. She helped in many other ways also. She listened to their problems, she was honest, and often was his inspiration, she said so many things that sounded as if spoken to be put into song.  
  
"I don't know how you do it, you old bat." He said, smiling. "But you just gave me a song."  
  
"Oh. I did, did I?"  
  
"Yes. 'Tis you who're the wonder'. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"  
  
"I think ye'd better get outta me kitchen, afore I burn the stew."  
  
"Oh." He said, following her advice, and leaving. "Don't leave. I'll be back to discuss songs with you later."  
  
"Ye think I'd leave, what with me stew on the oven? Ye've got some bats in ye belfry, Ichida."  
  
~*~  
  
The TV blared. The local dodge ball game was on, and Ken was officially intrigued. He had been conned into a game with his boss the next day, and wanted to know a bit about it. Though it was fairly simple, he could see why the Olympics had adopted it. He stood and walked into his and Yolie's kitchen.  
  
"You wanna beer hon?"  
  
Yolie looked up from her magazine. He knew she always said no, why did he keep asking?  
  
"No. Thank you anyway." She was worried about him....that was his 4th tonight. She wished he would stop drinking like this. It hadn't been a problem at first. He'd used to be able to make a six-pack last a month, now they were lucky if it lasted overnight. She'd ask, every night, about his last beer if he was going out for more, she waited till then, so that she could have the answer she wanted.  
  
~*~  
  
Koushirou Izumi pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, and lit it up. After taking a long drag on it, he acknowledged the tall figure in the shadows.  
  
"You really shouldn't smoke you know." the figure said. Izzy held out the package of cigarettes, and smiled as the man took one.   
  
"Neither should you." Izzy said as he offered a light. The figure took it and his pale face and dark hair were illuminated by the lighter, if only for a second.  
  
"I know that. But I've always been terrible at following my own advice."  
  
"Aren't we all?" Izzy asked, the smile gone from his voice.  
  
"So, how's it going?"  
  
"I think they suspect me. The government's bound to notice that the files are being re-routed soon. Once they know, there's no chance of hiding the virus...." he stopped, shaking his head. "I can't do much else."  
  
"What do you mean?" The figure asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, I can't keep creating disruptions for ever. I'm sure to be found out, and then Pandora(2) will be let loose."  
  
"Pandora is under quarantine."  
  
"Like hell it is." Izzy retorted. "We're the only ones who even know it exists. It's deadly to humans, but as far as we know not harmful to digimon. In order to save face, we hid it in the digital world. But that option is running out of steam, and we have no plan B. Have I missed anything?" It took all he had to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, but he did. He puffed on his cigarette as the figure put a hand on his shoulder, and moved closer.  
  
"Izzy, they must not know." Joe Kido whispered, locking eyes with his friend.  
  
"I'll do what I can."  
  
(1.) Oh, God. Ok....a Madam.....um....I'm just gonna say this fast and get it over with. A Madam is a prostitute. *Runs away from Mimi fans* Please don't hurt me.....  
  
(2.) The Pandora Virus was created by Koushirou Izumi and Joe Kido. In trying to discover how digimon became real, he stumbled upon a new strain of RNA that may have played a key part in the evolution process. The "Box" RNA was then sent to a leading genetics doctor Joe Kido. Proving that rushing nature is a bad idea, while Joe was trying to speed up the genetic evolution, the Box RNA mutated into a deadly virus. Pandora essentially, had opened the box.  
  
  



End file.
